Republican Harry Montoya and Democrat Laura Montoya are running to replace State Treasurer Tim Eichenberg who is leaving office after serving the maximum two consecutive terms. The Treasurer manages banking and investments for the state and has a seat on the boards for each of the state’s permanent funds and state retirement funds.
Republican Harry Montoya is a former two-term Santa Fe County Commissioner and Democrat Laura Montoya, no relation, is a former two-term Sandoval County Treasurer.
They’re both campaigning on experience but Laura Montoya focused on values when speaking in Truth or Consequences last month.
“Democrats believe in fairness and equality," she told a crowd at a party fundraiser. "That’s with taxes, that’s with access to healthcare, that’s access to broadband, access to good paying living wages, and access to the law.”
When addressing the All Pueblo Council of Governors, Harry Montoya touted his integrity and experience as an investor for Santa Fe County and pointed to his desire to foster New Mexico’s relationship with oil and gas.
He warned against any plan to refocus New Mexico's economy.
“Right now New Mexico is the richest we’ve ever been. We need to make sure that if we’re going to continue to have those funds, we continue to have the oil and gas industry.”
Both candidates told the Albuquerque Journal they are committed to legality, transparency and accountability. This comes after several ethics complaints during the Democratic primary that led to speculation that current Treasurer Tim Eichenberg was trying to tip the scales in favor of his chief-of-staff who ended up losing to Laura Montoya. Eichenberg was fined $250.
The Treasurer’s office has a tainted history, with decades of federal convictions for things like perjury, racketeering and extortion dating back to the 1970s.
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This report is part of our Your New Mexico Government project, a collaboration between KUNM radio and New Mexico PBS. Support for public media provided by the Thornburg Foundation.
